You’ve seen them on TV — a herd of Mustangs thundering across the wide open plains out West.

Naomi (Harless) Rutter, 22, of Sturgis has one of those Mustangs.

She grew up in 4-H and in an animal-loving family, but several years ago Rutter became more interested in training horses. So she started reading books, watching videos and “taking lessons from people who knew more than me,” she said.

This year she heard about “Mustang Millions” a horse competition open only to those who have adopted a Mustang through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Rutter talked it over with her husband Luke, and decided to apply for the Mustang Million competition. Their facility met the requirements and she was accepted. In May, Rutter went to Murfreesboro, Tenn., one of eight Mustang adoption sites. Of the horses up for adoption, Rutter had her eye on one in particular, but that mare went for more than the $500 Luke agreed to spend.

When Fierce Grace came up, Rutter bid on her without much infatuation involved.

“I really didn’t want her,” Rutter said. “But I got her anyway.”

The 5-year-old mare had been taken into captivity when she was 2 years old, but other than being fed, she didn’t have much human contact. Grace’s coat had never been brushed and her weight wasn’t well distributed, Rutter said.

“She looked pretty wild — unkept,” Rutter said.

They loaded up Grace and brought her home and then all Rutter’s training skills came into play.

“It took three weeks before we could do anything with her,” Rutter said.

Then it was Luke who “got the first touch. It’s all about the first touch,” she said.

Although Luke wasn’t raised with horses he’s learning to appreciate them, Rutter said. So he would spend time sitting in the barn with Grace. One day she came over and nudged his boot.

That kind of patient endurance is required to train a horse, Rutter said.

By week 4 Rutter was riding Grace — at first with someone leading, because an untrained horse’s behavior can be highly unpredictable and dangerous for the rider.

But time and patience won. Grace, born in a herd of free roaming Mustangs whose natural instincts are about self-preservation, will let Rutter convince her to lie down and will even roll onto her side.

That is a very unnatural position for a horse with every instinct alert to predators, Rutter said. If a predator were to attack, the horse would first have to get up before running and she doesn’t like that.

Page 2 of 2 - Grace also isn’t particularly fond of climbing on a pyramid of filled tractor tires, but when Rutter gives the quiet signal, she complies.

Now, just four months after Rutter and Grace met, it’s time for the Mustang Million competition this week in Fort Worth, Texas.

For Rutter, the one down side is the fact that it’s during fair week where she has spent 11 years as a 4-H member.

“It’s the first year I won’t be at the fair,” she said. “I’ll go hang out on Saturday (before leaving) I gotta get my fair food.”

From that comfort zone, she’ll go to an uncomfortable zone — showing in what might be the only Mustang Million competition the BLM will sponsor, she said.

During the competition, Rutter will show in the horsemanship class, a trail class and pattern class with 191 competitors in her division.

It’s a pretty big deal, but those who offer Rutter advise basically said to think small. So she’s going to try to compete as if in her own backyard.

“You have to have fun,” Rutter said.

It also would be really fun is to drive home the championship prize, a 2014 Ram pickup with a check for $200,000 — but all top 20 places earn prizes.